Engineering topics

Korman, M.

Publications and source records attributed to Korman, M..

26 records · Page 2

DOE OSTI2019

On-Sky Performance of the SPT-3G Frequency-Domain Multiplexed Readout

Frequency-domain multiplexing (fMux) is an established technique for the readout of large arrays of transition-edge sensor (TES) bolometers. Each TES in a multiplexing module has a unique AC voltage bias that is selected by a resonant filter. This scheme provides for the operation and readout of multiple bolometers on a single pair of wires, reducing thermal loading onto sub-Kelvin stages. The current receiver on the South Pole Telescope, SPT-3G, uses a 68x fMux system to operate its large-format camera of ~16,000 TES bolometers. We present here the successful implementation and performance of the SPT-3G readout as measured on-sky. Characterization of the noise reveals a median pair-differenced 1/f knee frequency of 33 mHz, indicating that low-frequency noise in the readout will not limit SPT-3G’s measurements of sky power on large angular scales. Measurements further show that the median readout white noise level in each of the SPT-3G observing bands is below the expectation for photon noise, demonstrating that SPT-3G is operating in the photon-noise-dominated regime.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

DOE OSTI2018

Design and Bolometer Characterization of the SPT-3G First-Year Focal Plane

During the austral summer of 2016-2017, the third-generation camera, SPT-3G, was installed on the South Pole Telescope, increasing the detector count in the focal plane by an order of magnitude relative to the previous generation. Designed to map the polarization of the cosmic microwave background, SPT-3G contains ten 6 ''-hexagonal modules of detectors, each with 269 trichroic and dual-polarization pixels, read out using 68x frequency-domain multiplexing. Here we discuss design, assembly, and layout of the modules, as well as early performance characterization of the first-year array, including yield and detector properties.

bolometer↗

DOE OSTI2018

SPT-3G: A Multichroic Receiver for the South Pole Telescope

A new receiver for the South Pole Telescope, SPT-3G, was deployed in early 2017 to map the cosmic microwave background at 95, 150, and 220 GHz with similar to 16,000 detectors, 10 times more than its predecessor SPTpol. The increase in detector count is made possible by lenslet-coupled trichroic polarization-sensitive pixels fabricated at Argonne National Laboratory, new 68x frequency-domain multiplexing readout electronics, and a higher-throughput optical design. The enhanced sensitivity of SPT-3G will enable a wide range of results including constraints on primordial B-mode polarization, measurements of gravitational lensing of the CMB, and a galaxy cluster survey. Here we present an overview of the instrument and its science objectives, highlighting its measured performance and plans for the upcoming 2018 observing season.

CMB↗

DOE OSTI2018

Thermal Links and Microstrip Transmission Lines in SPT-3G Bolometers

In this work, we have measured the properties of membrane-suspended bolometer thermal links and microstrip transmission lines in the transition-edge sensor arrays for the third-generation camera for South Pole Telescope (SPT-3G). A promising technique for controlling the end point of the release etch that defines the thermal link has been developed. We have also evaluated the microstrip loss in our detectors by measuring the optical efficiency of detectors with different lengths of microstrip line. The loss tangent is sufficiently low for the use in multi-chronic pixels for cosmic microwave background instruments like SPT-3G.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2018

Design and Assembly of SPT-3G Cold Readout Hardware

The third-generation upgrade to the receiver on the South Pole Telescope, SPT-3G, was installed at the South Pole during the 2016–2017 austral summer to measure the polarization of the cosmic microwave background. Increasing the number of detectors by a factor of 10 to ~16,000 required the multiplexing factor to increase to 68 and the bandwidth of the frequency-division readout electronics to span 1.6–5.2 MHz. This increase necessitates low-thermal conductance, low-inductance cryogenic wiring. Our cold readout system consists of planar thin-film aluminum inductive–capacitive resonators, wired in series with the detectors, summed together, and connected to 4K SQUIDs by 10-μm -thick niobium–titanium (NbTi) broadside-coupled striplines. Here, we present an overview of the cold readout electronics for SPT-3G, including assembly details and characterization of electrical and thermal properties of the system. We report, for the NbTi striplines, values of R≤10 -4 Ω , L=21±1 nH , and C=1.47±.02 nF . Additionally, the striplines’ thermal conductivity is described by kA=6.0±0.3 T 0.92±0.04 μW mm K -1 . Finally, we provide projections for cross talk induced by parasitic impedances from the stripline and find that the median value of percentage cross talk from leakage current is 0.22 and 0.09% from wiring impedance.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2018

Optical Characterization of the SPT-3G Camera

The third-generation South Pole Telescope camera is designed to measure the cosmic microwave background across three frequency bands (centered at 95, 150 and 220 GHz) with ~ 16,000 transition-edge sensor (TES) bolometers. Each multichroic array element on a detector wafer has a broadband sinuous antenna that couples power to six TESs, one for each of the three observing bands and both polarizations, via lumped element filters. Ten detector wafers populate the detector array, which is coupled to the sky via a large-aperture optical system. Here we present the frequency band characterization with Fourier transform spectroscopy, measurements of optical time constants, beam properties, and optical and polarization efficiencies of the detector array. The detectors have frequency bands consistent with our simulations and have high average optical efficiency which is 86, 77 and 66% for the 95, 150 and 220 GHz detectors. The time constants of the detectors are mostly between 0.5 and 5 ms. The beam is round with the correct size, and the polarization efficiency is more than 90% for most of the bolometers.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2018

Fabrication of Detector Arrays for the SPT-3G Receiver

The South Pole Telescope third-generation (SPT-3G) receiver was installed during the austral summer of 2016–2017. It is designed to measure the cosmic microwave background across three frequency bands centered at 95, 150, and 220 GHz. The SPT-3G receiver has ten focal plane modules, each with 269 pixels. Each pixel features a broadband sinuous antenna coupled to a niobium microstrip transmission line. In-line filters define the desired band-passes before the signal is coupled to six bolometers with Ti/Au/Ti/Au transition edge sensors (three bands × two polarizations). In total, the SPT-3G receiver is composed of 16,000 detectors, which are read out using a 68 × frequency-domain multiplexing scheme. In this paper, we present the process employed in fabricating the detector arrays.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2018

Tuning SPT-3G Transition-Edge-Sensor Electrical Properties with a Four-Layer Ti–Au–Ti–Au Thin-Film Stack

We have developed superconducting Ti transition-edge sensors with Au protection layers on the top and bottom for the South Pole Telescope’s third-generation receiver (a cosmic microwave background polarimeter, due to be upgraded this austral summer of 2017/2018). The base Au layer (deposited on a thin Ti glue layer) isolates the Ti from any substrate effects; the top Au layer protects the Ti from oxidation during processing and subsequent use of the sensors. We control the transition temperature and normal resistance of the sensors by varying the sensor width and the relative thicknesses of the Ti and Au layers. The transition temperature is roughly six times more sensitive to the thickness of the base Au layer than to that of the top Au layer. The normal resistance is inversely proportional to sensor width for any given film configuration. For widths greater than five micrometers, the critical temperature is independent of width.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗